Friday, November 7, 2008

The biggest myth in all of American cookery is the belief that a juicy, perfectly cooked turkey is difficult for the novice cook to achieve. This video recipe for how to cook a turkey will show a very easy method for producing a moist, delicious, and beautiful turkey every time.

One of the secrets is a flavored butter under the skin. You can see that recipe here. You can tweak this any way you want, as the possibilities are endless. This video recipe for prepping and roasting the turkey is just part 1, and will conclude with how to make the gravy in part 2.

Be sure you buy a meat thermometer before thanksgiving. It is the most important tool in the kitchen that day. Other than that, you probably have everything needed, and yes, this method will work with the ubiquitous foil roasting pans.

So, proceed with confidence, joy, and the knowledge that since you're the one cooking the turkey, you won't have to wash any dishes! Even if this is your first time, don't play scared, this will work. There is nothing to fear, but the fear of dry turkey itself. Enjoy!

What a great and perfect way of starting to share the holiday spirits! I was really hoping you would do some holiday recipes, and viola~ Thanks a lot and I look forward to seeing more awesome holiday recipes! Thanks!

I typically make my turkey in a bag (don't fuss please), but this Thanksgiving I'm planning on cooking it your way. My question is, in the bag there is a LOT of broth. I use that broth in my stuffing. With your method, will it yield at least two cups of broth?BTW, it looks YUMMY!! I can't wait until Turkey day!! hehe

hi chef john....i've been loyally following your blog for the past one year...and u'd better pay me coz i'm a walking-and-talking advertisement for this blog..lol...and this is my first comment...i want to say i just love your sense of humor...lol..."THEY'RE CHICKEN!!"..makes watching u even better...!!!

I have been cooking turkey for many years now & have always done the roasting then the foil, but your way makes much more sense. That way the browned skin doesn't get moist when covered up at the end. Stays crisp! Thanks for the tip. Old dogs can learn new tricks.Luckily I won't be cooking turkey this year, traveling.Luisa Vacaville

I am so very happy to have found your site! Thank you for all your recipe videos. I have many cookbooks and enjoy cooking but already your site is making me a better cook! My husbands favorite meal is turkey dinner and today I made it for our famlies dinner. He has always been happy with the turkeys I've cooked, and today at times I was like "why and I makeing this butter mixture?" "why do I have my hand under the turkeys skin" *yuck*. But now I know why; tonight he, my brother and his wife, and my 7 year old all RAVED about the bird. And my husband said he will never be able to eat a turkey cooked by anyone else! :) I've always cooked them to 180 (what my meat therm suggested) in the past and I could not believe the difference that made as well.

I really enjoy your cooking videos! Thank you. Question..gravy..last year we cooked (i watched my mom) the turkey and we had very little cooking liquid..i mean very little. Your gravy recipe calls for 3 cups of cooking liquid..what to do if i only have 1/2 of liquid or so? we did not put butter under skin last year. Sorry for such a simple question...absolute novice! I am cooking turkey this year solo!

If you prep the bottom of the pan like I did with the veggie and a few cups of water, you should get a few cups, but it really doesn't matter because you have the turkey stock already made with the neck. Good luck, have fun, and don't try too hard.

Chef John, my 17 year old daughter, who rarely eats enough to feed a mouse, LOVED your turkey! She didn't want to stop eating it and just about popped!! She was like: "Mom, it's soooooooooo good"! Needless to say, I'll be making it this way from now on! It was excellent! Aromatic, moist, and totally out of this world yummy!!!

I have to work on Thanksgiving day and ideally would like the turkey in by noon, but will be working until after 1pm. Would I be able to prepare the turkey the night before and have my boyfriend put it in the next day? As in loosening the skin and adding the butter underneath, and outside the skin aswell as seasoning the turkey. And then just have to veggies prepared and stored in a ziploc with very specific directions as to how it all goes together for him? I'm worried if I wait until after work the turkey won't be finished until pretty late.

I have to say this is the best turkey recipe I have found. I have used this the past two years, and each year it gets better. Thank you for helping me make a wonderful turkey for our international neighbors. AMAZING!!

How will this work with an 18 pound turkey? I hope I didn't bite off more than I could chew I gotta serve 6 people with an 18 pounder. Obviously I shouldn't cook this in a foil pan. what are your thoughts?

I made this today. It was my first time ever cooking a turkey. I have heard many compliments today, and several told me it was the best turkey they ever had. Thank you so much for all the work in creating this blog post and video! Happy Thanksgiving.

I would like to thank you for this very informative video (part 1-2); the turkey came out amazingly delicious and juicy my family and guests were amazed and devoured it :DThis was also my first time cooking a turkey by the way, thanks again :)

Awesome recipe and this was my first turkey ever and everybody loved it. Very juicy and it was actually not that hard to make. Just watched your video and took my time. Also the gravy turned out great, but I think I bought a turkey who ran around a lot because I hardly skimmed any fat off the liquid in the pan. Thanks again!

This year would be my first to make a turkey. So reading the previous comments there's one that caught my attention, so would it be better to cover the turkey with bacon than with foil. Would I still have that juicy tender turkey that im praying for?

I'm cooking my turkey in an electric roaster because I only have one oven & need it for other dishes. Will this recipe work well in a roaster? If so, what temperature should I roast the turkey at? Does the length of time for roasting a turkey in a conventional oven apply to an electric roaster?

you mention cooking the turkey 18 minutes per pound and i bought an 18 pound turkey. i'm no math wiz but that is 5 hours and 24 minutes. Others have mentioned a shorter time so i wanted to confirm the cooking time of 5 hours and 24 minutes. I'll use the meat thermometer to get to the right temp but just wanted to confirm.

Chef John, my turkey's in the oven now, but I'm nervous 'cause I used a self basting turkey. I followed your recipe for the herbed butter and the seasoning salt and applied it as in your video. Will it be too salty, because of the sodium already in the self basting bird? thanks! Anne

Second - Any chance you will do a video preparing a turkey in a baking bag? Or is that considered blasphemy? I had Thanksgiving last night with friends - and this guy would not stop bragging about his results with the cooking bags!! Cheers :-)

Used this method for chickens last weekend and they were the best roasted chickens we'd ever made. We brined them before roasting.

Today, I am doing the turkey. I think I may have left the foil on the breast for too long. The thigh is registering 165F, but the breast is only at 120F. I am going to leave it in the oven until 150F, cover with foil and see what kind of carry over I can get. I am practicing with this bird, so if I have to, I can just carve then finish cooking later. For future reference, what would be a safe temperature for the breast?

Someone attending Thanksgiving can't eat dairy (or soy, corn, or olives for that matter, so margarine is out of the question), but I still want to try something like this. Could I substitute ~any fat for the butter and just have a harder time coating the bird or do the unique properties of butter lend itself to this in a way liquid fats wouldn't?

I have to work on Thanksgiving day and ideally would like the turkey in by noon, but will be working until after 1pm. Would I be able to prepare the turkey the night before and have my boyfriend put it in the next day? As in loosening the skin and adding the butter underneath, and outside the skin aswell as seasoning the turkey. And then just have to veggies prepared and stored in a ziploc with very specific directions as to how it all goes together for him? I'm worried if I wait until after work the turkey won't be finished until pretty late.

Please try to answer as soon as you can because im a bit stressed! Thank You~!

Hey there chef, I hope I'm not to late but I really need need input. We're having a small thanksgiving (only 3) and got turkey breasts instead of the whole turkey. Can i use this recipe as followes for the turkey breast? Thanks

This is the first turkey I've ever made that has turned out moist, and frankly, delicious! Everyone commented on how good it was and I am officially out of leftovers from a 20 lb turkey! Thank you, Chef John, for sharing this recipe and giving really specific instructions. I am making turkey this way from here on out!!

Hi Chef John, I ended up using lard for my fat and it turned out pretty darn awesome. Thanks so much for not just the videos but giving such speedy replies to questions when I know you're just as busy as any of us. It's really a thankless service that's so incredible of you to provide.

Love your recipes. Couple questions because this is my first turkey. Im using an already basted turkey, do i still add salt,pepper and poultry seasoning or will it be too salty? Also your butter recipe calls for 2tbsp fresh thyme and 1/4 cup of fresh sage. Is the 1/4 cup a typo? Thank you:)

Love your recipes. Couple questions because this is my first turkey. Im using an already basted turkey, do i still add salt,pepper and poultry seasoning or will it be too salty? Also your butter recipe calls for 2tbsp fresh thyme and 1/4 cup of fresh sage. Is the 1/4 cup a typo? Thank you:)

Hi,This is my second year using your recipe. First year it turned out great, thank you! This year I decided to brine the turkey. Do I still need to add salt to the butter? My turkey is all natural and not frozen if that matters :)thank you again!

Okay, so I know there are a million comments on here saying "this is great, Chef John!" But seriously, THIS IS GREAT, Chef John. This was my first year I was unable to spend Thanksgiving with my family and therefore my first year to do the turkey all by myself. I invited other loners over for a Friendsgiving feast and used this method, and MAN OH MAN do I have some new best friends. One guy liked it so much, I was afraid he'd ask me to marry him. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and the great recipe. I'm not a real rule follower when it comes to 'recipes', but I used your general method and was so glad I did. FIrst year tackling the turkey, and it turned out terrific. Yay! Thanks, Chef John!

'Twas the night before Turkey and all through the house there was wailing and gnashing of (the cook's) teeth! I want to do the herb butter under the skin method. I purchased a brined turkey and discovered tonight it has some sort of heavy spice rub on it. Would the cooking time still the same for a brined bird... 325 degrees, about 15 min per pound? Should the bird be cold from the fridge or allowed to warm up a bit before roasting? My turkey is 17.75 lbs. Also should I elminate some or all of the seasonings in your recipe since it appears 'pre-seasoned'? Thanks for rescuing me Chef!

Having lived in Europe for 40 years, it's been awhile since I cooked a turkey. I followed your video and my turkey was an absolute hit with my guests. You really made it a 'no brainer' for beginners. Awesome - thank you!

I was so afraid to do this on my own for the first time until I heard your reassuring voice and your calm and thoughtful instructions. I watched your video a dozen times then, on Thanksgiving morning, I followed your recipe exactly and I'm so happy to say that it turned out to be one incredible turkey and I was SO very proud of myself. I owe it all to you. Thank you, Chef John! You're amazing.